Jewellery Markings : What You Should Know

We all love to wear fine jewellery. Every woman has a prized collection of treasured rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets to accessory her many looks. Jewellery is often marked in some way, which might be to state metal content or perhaps the name or the year of manufacture. These marks are usually well-concealed on the inner surface and while many people are unaware of their existence, the antique dealer would carefully examine all items they have on offer. If you are new to the world of fine jewellery, here is some information about hallmarking and symbols that are commonly found on jewellery.

Metal Content Stamps

These are generally found on the inner side and when you consider that silver and sterling silver look very similar, the metal content stamp tells you the composition. Common metal content stamps include the following:

Sterling
.925
925
Silver plated
Silver electroplate
Plat, Platinum
Pall, Palladium

If you are looking for something special, you can purchase antique jewellery for sale online from a leading antique dealer. The dealer would be able to show you metal content stamp and any other marking the piece might have, plus they would likely know the full history of the piece, which is always nice to know.

Mark Of The Maker

It is very common for a jewellery maker to leave his mark on the piece, which is usually found near the metal content stamp and could be a single symbol or a number of characters that the maker is associated with. As you would expect, there are indeed many maker’s marks and you might need to take a piece to an antique dealer in order to decipher the mark and discover the maker’s identity. It might be a single small circle, or perhaps a cross or series of lines. It can be a challenge to make sense of a maker’s mark; refer to an antique dealer for the solution.

Patent Number

Stylish jewellery from a well-known manufacturer might have their design patent number, although this is rare, especially with antique jewellery. Typically, this would be very small and the number would refer to the patenting office number designated for that design, which deters other jewellers from copying their work.

Engravings

Of course, when a jewellery piece is hand-crafted for a special person, the giver might like to include a special message or symbol that they both understand. This form of personalisation was very popular during the Edwardian and Victorian periods, with small birds, hearts and flowers often carved carefully. The monogram is one form of jewellery engraving, which might be the initials of the giver or recipient, or both. The antique dealer can usually decipher engravings, as they have years of hands-on experience.

If you would like to find a stunning piece of antique jewellery, search online for a leading antique dealer and browse through their extensive catalogue of authentic pieces, all at affordable prices.